The clinical exchange programme is not just about clinical opportunities, but in this exchange of a Senior Researcher and biologist Marica Arvigo travelling to Leiden where a high volume of neurosurgeries allowed for the collection of primary cell cultures.

Marica explains, “Thanks to the high volume of pit-NET neurosurgeries in the hosting Institution and thanks to our experience in primary cell cultures, we could set 4 primary cultures in the established working week (2 primary cultures from non-functioning pit-NETs, 1 primary culture from PRL-secreting pit-NET and 1 culture from GH-secreting pit-NET). After the setting, we plated cells in 96-well plates and we performed functional experiments aimed to evaluate the effect of experimental somatostatin receptor ligands (SRLs) on pit-NET cell proliferation (BrdU cell proliferation assay). We also collected conditioned media from the same treated cells in order to evaluate the effect of the sub-mentioned compounds on hormone secretion (GH and PRL) by specific ELISA assays.”

One of the many benefits of Endo-ERN membership is the opportunity to share expertise. This exchange benefited the host and the visitor equally with the centers working together to improve patient outcomes.